


Life In Death

by reflectingstars (Bellflower)



Category: Sengoku Basara
Genre: Bloodplay, Disturbing Themes, M/M, Spoilers, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-11
Updated: 2011-01-11
Packaged: 2017-10-14 16:07:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/151059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bellflower/pseuds/reflectingstars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mouri Motonari asks a question of Mitsuhide, hoping to understand where the immortality they both possess comes from. He does not like the answer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Life In Death

Eternal youth.

Motonari had it. There was no technical explanation for why this was so, at least as far as he knew; he’d passed through the years without his body changing at all. It was most definitely a useful thing, so he’d never put much thought into the gift he’d been given beyond attributing it to the divine will of the sun. Family members and the men that had managed to survive his strategies had grown old around him, some passing on without commenting on the fact that their Lord and commander had retained the face of a man in his twenties. But something had happened to give him reason to wonder why. Something that had made him realise the immortality he possessed was not, in fact, anything to do with his shining God.

Akechi Mitsuhide had reappeared, eyes as mad as ever and complexion untouched by time.

He didn’t go by that name anymore, instead claiming himself to be a monk named ‘Nankobo Tenkai.’ Everyone except Mouri himself seemed fooled, the idiot Hideaki in particular. The simple little man had been taken in by Mitsuhide’s sweet words and looked to him for help in almost everything, leaving his future in the hands of a man consumed by ridiculous desires. It would have been a simple matter to step in and stop this from happening, but Motonari had not done so. Not only did Hideaki deserve everything he got from his situation, there was something he needed to know and to gain the knowledge he desired, he’d need to find a good reason to get Mitsuhide to speak.

The divine sun would not touch scum like the one they called Reaper, would not show him favour and would _definitely_ not give him a precious gift like immortality. Motonari needed to know, for his own security, how Mitsuhide had gained it. It did not seem likely that there would be many sources for such a thing, if only they two amongst the people of their age had gained the gift, so that meant the odds were that they had gotten eternal life from the same place. If there was any chance he could figure out what that was, then he had to take it. It was the logical thing to do.

“Such a noble figure,” murmured Mitsuhide, watching Motonari with bright eyes. “Such nobility, such _beauty_ … hehehe… I wonder what this figure wants with me? Does he seek forgiveness for the sin of murder? Because I sense that he has committed that sin many, many times… ah, the waters of his island must run red by now!”

Motonari scowled. He loathed Mitsuhide; there were few times in his life that someone had managed to make him stutter over his words, and this creature had been the first one to ever make it happen. For all the insanity that consumed his mind, there was still a sly creature in there that knew how to craft his poisonous words well. How else would he manage to convince even idiots that he was the monk he claimed to be?

“Silence,” he replied. “I have no wish to listen to nonsense, Nankobo.”

“Oh?” said Mitsuhide, rising gracefully from the floor. “So why, then, are you here? Something must have brought you to my chambers. A _noble_ man like yourself wouldn’t do such a thing without good reason, would he?”

“I never do anything unprepared,” snorted Motonari.

The statement was… mostly true. He had come to question Mitsuhide, but dwelling on how best to do so had proved to be a fruitless endeavour. No tricks that came to mind would work for gaining such information; there was no clear strategy for making the madman utter the words that would lead him to the answers he desired. It was something that would have to be worked out as he went along. Not an idea he liked _at all_.

“You must have questions for this… humble monk,” murmured Mitsuhide, his voice as sweet as honey. “So come… ask that which preys on your mind. I want to hear it, I am here to hear it.”

Grey eyes filled with amusement as a hand played with strands of white hair. The fool… he wasn’t even aware that Motonari knew full well who he was. If he had been the sort to respond to blackmail, things would have been so much easier.

“You have something I want,” said Motonari. “Knowledge that should be mine.”

“What knowledge might that be?” replied Mitsuhide.

“You have made bold claims, and while most are utterances I could care less about, one has caught my interest. The secrets to… a long and healthy life. That is one of your claims, is it not? That you possess them?”

Good enough.

“Mmm… I have said that before, l haven’t I?” Mitsuhide raised his one visible eyebrow and stepped closer. “But I don’t see why you’d be interested in that, my noble tactician. You clearly already know them yourself, don’t you? That face of yours remains fair and untouched by both time and blade. These chaotic times, marked my blood and war and the _divine_ dance of powerful souls… you have come through years of them and do not look like you’ve lost a single year of your life. It’s odd, that few others point this out and _wonder_ … ehehehe….”

“So you do know them.”

“Oh yes, Mouri Motonari. I know how to keep one’s body young. I have known it for a long, long time, just like you…”

“I believe I have made it _clear_ that such a thing has remained beyond my grasp. It is of utmost importance that I become aware of how to maximise my lifespan; the glorious sun demands it.”

“….you don’t know… you don’t… know…”

Mitsuhide burst into a bout of mad laughter, head tilting backwards as he did so. Motonari did not react outwardly, but inwardly cursed and stepped back a little. When the other man finally calmed a little and looked over again there was nothing but a mad delight in his expression.

“These secrets… _oh_ … these secrets!” he exclaimed. “The ones that inform one of how to do much more than maximise a natural lifespan, the ones that enable you to live forever… that is what you really seek, isn’t it? Oh, but you know, or I thought you must! It is obvious, surely, so _clear_ to men like us. You and I, we started down certain paths from youth, ones that guaranteed we would find that which has eluded men and women for centuries! I am disappointed, oh yes… in the body before this, in which I slew a demon and stole his head, I thought about you and just knew… _just knew_ I would see you again, just like this!”

“…quiet! You know nothing of me! We have never met before, you fool, and I-“

“Liar! We have met before, haven’t we? Oh, did you think I would not remember? Ahahaha… oh, you silly thing! But this puts us in an interesting position… I possess something that you want, and you don’t know how to get it from me! You are clever, but I can see that now… have I confused you?”

Motonari glared at Mitsuhide, willing himself to remain calm. He had not expected this… the madman had acted so oblivious before, so seemingly unaware that his new identity had been seen through.

“Mmm… a yes, I believe!” continued Mitsuhide. “But you know… I am willing to share my knowledge with you, and won’t even ask for _much_ in return! Isn’t that generous?”

A pause. ‘Not much,’ from Mitsuhide, could be a lot more than any sane man should be willing to give. Motonari was far too intelligent a man to simply nod, especially after the outburst the other had just had.

“You think me fool enough to simply nod and agree, scum?” he snapped.

"But all I want is a kiss…” said Mitsuhide softly, stepping ever closer. “A little taste of you, that’s all… a small thing to exchange for such knowledge, don’t you think?”

That took Motonari by surprise. Of all requests he could have imagined coming from Mitsuhide’s mouth, he would ask for this? It did not match with anything he knew about the man, and as unpredictable as the vile creature was… his desires did not have room for something like a kiss. There had to be something more to it, but try as he might, he could not think of what that might be.

“….you ask for something distasteful to me,” he muttered coldly. “But… very well, if that will be the end of it.”

Mitsuhide smiled… and closed the gap between them in seconds, causing Motonari to back into the wall. An annoyed grunt passed from his mouth, but it was quickly suppressed by the other’s lips closing over his own. The kiss was rough and demanding, possessive even, something that made him want to back out immediately. But he couldn’t. It was a simple thing, a ridiculous thing that should not bother him. What was a kiss, when such knowledge was at his fingertips?

But then Mitsuhide _bit_.

The sharp stab of pain caused Motonari to instinctively pull away, and he lurched to the side. It was not the smartest thing to do, in hindsight, because the grip of the madman’s teeth did not loosen and thus tore at the flesh of his bottom lip, splitting it. Blood leaked down his chin as he turned about to give a hateful glare; Mitsuhide did not seemed bothered at all by this. He just ran his tongue across his mouth, lapping up the red splashed across.

“You… you _scum_!” raged Motonari. “That you would… _dare_ to do such a thing to me!”

“Your blood is divine…” said Mitsuhide, expression something of a blissful one. “I can taste the lives of a thousand men within it, a thousand men whose deaths you caused. Ehehehehe… the drops of their own blood run alongside yours, you know… their lives sustaining you, their energy being consumed to spare your own. That’s the secret, don’t you see?”

He span around, arms extended.

“Kill, and kill, and kill again… in doing so you become an immortal, a true God of death!”

Mouri stared, hand hovering over his bleeding mouth. It was… the insane ramblings of madman he was hearing. That was all. It couldn’t be true; something so messy, so ridiculous could _not_ explain their immortality! The pawns who had fallen through weakness, the pathetic enemies he had crushed at his feet… he could not owe them this!

“Ahhh…” continued Mitsuhide, watching him happily. “You and I will survive this age and walk into the next… that elegant, bloody dance of yours will never stop. It’s a lovely thought… makes me happy, that I’ll get to watch it _forever_ …”

This had been a foolish idea from the start. A foolish idea. Motonari stood up straight, hand still clasped over his mouth, and backed away in the direction of the door. His expression was serious and uncaring, but the mask was betrayed by the slight trembling he was experiencing. Mitsuhide did not follow, but continued to watch him, eyes bright and smile wide. The creature would have to be killed. He would _have_ to be done away with, as soon as possible!

“I’ll be seeing you again very soon!” chuckled 'Tenkai' as Motonari left. “Rest assured of that, my beautiful death God.”

**Author's Note:**

> Trade fanfic for a friend on LiveJournal. DEAR, I HOPE THIS FITS YOUR PROMPT WELL ENOUGH; I used an idea of yours and gave it a disturbing spin! Will possibly write a follow-up for it at some point. Also Motonari, you are hard to write.


End file.
